The cyst. The biopsy. The diagnosis. The chemotherapy. It all came as a shock to Sohiny Patel.

Young women like Patel, a 21-year-old senior at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, shouldn't have to worry about breast cancer. Or so she thought.

Patel learned otherwise last July, when a mammogram and biopsy revealed early-stage breast cancer. The first decision Patel had to make was how to attack the disease that was attacking her. She could have surgery to remove the tumor and undergo aggressive radiation and chemotherapy for six months, which would result in losing her hair, or she could take a more conservative path and undergo targeted therapy, getting a low dose of chemo every two weeks to target the tumor and kill receptive cells to stem its growth. She chose the latter.

The next decision Patel made was to turn the diagnosis that turned her life upside down into something that might help others.

"I wanted to bring awareness to young adults," Patel said, "because never in a million years did I think I would wake up one day and find out I have early stage breast cancer."

She and a handful of friends and family members began organizing a benefit concert that would raise awareness and help fund cancer research. They turned things around quickly, and their hard work will come to fruition Friday, when local artist Byron Hatcher and up-and-coming country acts Chase Rice and Old Southern Moonshine Revival headline the Give Breast Cancer The Boot benefit concert at Savannah's Johnny Mercer Theater.

Patel and her support team partnered with the American Cancer Society and solicited sponsorships to ensure that every penny of the $15 per ticket will go to cancer research. As of Thursday afternoon, only about 150 tickets had been sold, but Patel hopes word spreads quickly enough to boost sales at the door. Patel would love nothing more than to see a packed theater tonight, but in reality, she knows that every ticket sold counts.

"I'm really happy with what we're doing, because it's for such a good cause," she said. "I want a great turnout, but even if not many people show up, I'll be happy because we were able to raise awareness. I'm proud of what we've done."

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